Wet season

Rainfall distribution by month in Cairns, Australia.

The monsoon season is the time of year

when most of a region's average annual
rainfall occurs. Generally the season lasts
at least a month.[1] The term "green
season" is also sometimes used as a
euphemism by tourist authorities.[2] Areas
with wet seasons are dispersed across
portions of the tropics and subtropics.[3]

Under the Köppen climate classification,

for tropical climates, a wet season month
is defined as a month where average
precipitation is 60 millimetres (2.4 in) or
more.[4] In contrast to areas with savanna
climates and monsoon regimes,
Mediterranean climates have wet winters
and dry summers. Dry and rainy months
are characteristic of tropical seasonal
forests: in contrast to tropical rainforests,
which do not have dry or wet seasons,
since their rainfall is equally distributed
throughout the year.[5] Some areas with
pronounced rainy seasons will see a break
in rainfall mid-season, when the
intertropical convergence zone or
monsoon trough moves to higher latitudes
in the middle of the warm season.[6]

When the wet season occurs during a

warm season, or summer, precipitation
falls mainly during the late afternoon and
early evening. In the wet season, air quality
improves, fresh water quality improves,
and vegetation grows substantially,
leading to crop yields late in the season.
Rivers overflow their banks, and some
animals retreat to higher ground. Soil
nutrients diminish and erosion increases.
The incidence of malaria increases in
areas where the rainy season coincides
with high temperatures, particularly in
tropical areas.[7] Some animals have
adaptation and survival strategies for the
wet season. Often, the previous dry
season leads to food shortages in the wet
season, as the crops have yet to mature.

Character of the rainfall

Wet season storm at night in Darwin, Australia.

In areas where the heavy rainfall is

associated with a wind shift, the wet
season is known as the monsoon.[8]
Rainfall in the wet season is mainly due to
daytime heating which leads to diurnal
thunderstorm activity within a pre-existing
moist airmass, so the rain mainly falls in
late afternoon and early evening in
savannah and monsoon regions. Further,
much of the total rainfall each day occurs
in the first minutes of the downpour,[6]
before the storms mature into their
stratiform stage.[9] Most places have only
one wet season, but areas of the tropics
can have two wet seasons, because the
monsoon trough, or Intertropical
Convergence Zone, can pass over
locations in the tropics twice per year.
However, since rain forests have rainfall
spread evenly through the year, they do not
have a wet season.[5]

It is different for places with a

Mediterranean climate. In the western
United States, during the cold season from
September–May, extratropical cyclones
from the Pacific Ocean move inland into
the region due to a southward migration of
the jet stream during the cold season. This
shift in the jet stream brings much of the
annual precipitation to the region,[10] and
sometimes also brings heavy rain and
strong low pressure systems.[11] The
peninsula of Italy has weather very similar
to the western United States in this
regard.[12]

Areas affected
Areas with a savanna climate in Sub-
Saharan Africa, such as Ghana, Burkina
Faso,[13][14] Darfur,[15] Eritrea,[16]
Ethiopia,[17] and Botswana have a distinct
rainy season.[18] Also within the savanna
climate regime, Florida and South Texas
have a rainy season.[19] Monsoon regions
include the Indian subcontinent, Southeast
Asia (including Indonesia and
Philippines),[20] northern sections of
Australia's North,[21] Polynesia,[22] Central
America,[23] western and southern
Mexico,[24] the Desert Southwest of the
United States,[10] southern Guyana,[25]
portions of northeast Brazil.[26]

Northern Guyana has two wet seasons:

one in early spring and the other in early
winter.[25] In western Africa, there are two
rainy seasons across southern sections,
but only one across the north.[27] Within
the Mediterranean climate regime, the
west coast of the United States and the
Mediterranean coastline of Italy, Greece,[28]
and Turkey experience a wet season in the
winter months.[29] Similarly, the wet
season in the Negev desert of Israel
extends from October through May.[30] At
the boundary between the Mediterranean
and monsoon climates lies the Sonoran
desert, which receives the two rainy
seasons associated with each climate
regime.[31]

The wet season is known by many

different local names throughout the
world. For example, in Mexico it is known
as "storm season". Different names are
given to the various short "seasons" of the
year by the Aboriginal tribes of Northern
Australia: the wet season typically
experienced there from December to
March is called Gudjewg. The precise
meaning of the word is disputed, although
it is widely accepted to relate to the severe
thunderstorms, flooding, and abundant
vegetation growth commonly experienced
at this time.[32]

Effects

Monsoon in the Vindhya mountain range, central India.

In tropical areas, when the monsoon
arrives, high daytime high temperatures
drop and overnight low temperatures
increase, thus reducing diurnal
temperature variation.[33] During the wet
season, a combination of heavy rainfall
and, in some places such as Hong Kong,
an onshore wind, improve air quality.[34] In
Brazil, the wet season is correlated with
weaker trade winds off the ocean.[26] The
pH level of water becomes more balanced
due to the charging of local aquifers
during the wet season.[35] Water also
softens, as the concentration of dissolved
materials reduces during the rainy
season.[36] Erosion is also increased
during rainy periods.[6] Arroyos that are dry
at other times of the year fill with runoff, in
some cases with water as deep as 10 feet
(3.0 m).[37] Leaching of soils during
periods of heavy rainfall depletes
nutrients.[37] The higher runoff from land
masses affects nearby ocean areas, which
are more stratified, or less mixed, due to
stronger surface currents forced by the
heavy rainfall runoff.[38]

Floods

High rainfall can cause widespread

flooding,[39] which can lead to landslides
and mudflows in mountainous areas.[40]
Such floods cause rivers to burst their
banks and submerge homes.[41] The
Ghaggar-Hakra River, which only flows
during India's monsoon season, can flood
and severely damage local crops.[42]
Floods can be exacerbated by fires that
occurred during the previous dry season,
which cause soils which are sandy or
composed of loam to become
hydrophobic, or water repellent.[43] In
various ways governments may help
people deal with wet season floods. Flood
plain mapping identifies which areas are
more prone to flooding.[44] Instructions on
controlling erosion through outreach are
also provided by telephone or the
internet.[45]

Life adaptations

Equatorial savanna in the East Province of Cameroon.

Humans

The wet season is the main period of

vegetation growth within the Savanna
climate regime.[46] However, this also
means that wet season is a time for food
shortages before crops reach their full
maturity.[47] This causes seasonal weight
changes for people in developing
countries, with a drop occurring during the
wet season until the time of the first
harvest, when weights rebound.[48] Malaria
incidence increases during periods of high
temperature and heavy rainfall.[49]

Animals

Cows calve, or give birth, at the beginning

of the wet season.[50] The onset of the
rainy season signals the departure of the
monarch butterfly from Mexico.[51]
Tropical species of butterflies show larger
dot markings on their wings to fend off
possible predators and are more active
during the wet season than the dry
season.[52] Within the tropics and warmer
areas of the subtropics, decreased salinity
of near shore wetlands due to the rains
causes an increase in crocodile nesting.[53]
Other species, such as the arroyo toad,
spawn within the couple of months after
the seasonal rains.[54] Armadillos and
rattlesnakes seek higher ground.[55]

See also
Akhet
East Asian rainy season
 Dry season

References
1. Glossary of Meteorology (2013). Rainy
season. Archived 2009-02-15 at the
Wayback Machine American
Meteorological Society. Retrieved on 2008-
12-27.
2. Costa Rica Guide (2005). When to Travel
to Costa Rica. ToucanGuides. Retrieved on
2008-12-27.
3. Michael Pidwirny (2008). CHAPTER 9:
Introduction to the Biosphere.
PhysicalGeography.net. Retrieved on 2008-
12-27.
4. "Updated world Köppen-Geiger climate
classification map" (PDF).
5. Elisabeth M. Benders-Hyde (2003). World
Climates. Blue Planet Biomes. Retrieved
on 2008-12-27.
6. J. S. 0guntoyinbo and F. 0. Akintola
(1983). Rainstorm characteristics affecting
water availability for agriculture. Archived
2009-02-05 at the Wayback Machine IAHS
Publication Number 140. Retrieved on
2008-12-27.
7. "Malaria Fact Sheet" . The World Health
Organization. April 2016. Retrieved April 24,
2016.
8. Glossary of Meteorology (2009).
Monsoon. Archived 2008-03-22 at the
Wayback Machine American
Meteorological Society. Retrieved on 2009-
01-16.
9. Robert A. Houze Jr (1997). Stratiform
Precipitation in Regions of Convection: A
Meteorological Paradox? Bulletin of the
American Meteorological Society, pp. 2179.
Retrieved on 2008-12-27.
10. J. Horel (2006). Normal Monthly
Precipitation, Inches. Archived 2006-11-
13 at the Wayback Machine University of
Utah. Retrieved on 2008-03-19.
11. Norman W. Junker (2008). West Coast
Cold Season Heavy Rainfall Events.
Hydrometeorological Prediction Center.
Retrieved on 2008-03-01.
12. BBC Weather (2009). Country Guide:
Italy. British Broadcasting Company.
Retrieved on 2008-12-27.
13. Patrick Laux et al. (2008): Predicting
the regional onset of the rainy season in
West Africa. International Journal of
Climatology, 28 (3), 329–342.
14. Patrick Laux et al. (2009): Modelling
daily precipitation features in the Volta
Basin of West Africa. International Journal
of Climatology, 29 (7), 937–954.,
15. David Vandervort (2009). Darfur: getting
ready for the rainy season. International
Committee of the Red Cross. Retrieved on
2009-02-06.
16. Mehari Tesfazgi Mebrhatu, M. Tsubo,
and Sue Walker (2004). A Statistical Model
for Seasonal Rainfall Forecasting over the
Highlands of Eritrea. New directions for a
diverse planet: Proceedings of the 4th
International Crop Science Congress.
Retrieved on 2009-02-08.
17. Alex Wynter (2009). Ethiopia: March
rainy season "critical" for southern
pastoralists. Thomson Reuters
Foundation. Retrieved on 2009-02-06.
18. The Voice (2009). Botswana: Rainy
Season Fills Up Dams. allAfrica.com.
Retrieved on 2009-02-06.
19. Randy Lascody (2008). The Florida Rain
Machine. National Weather Service.
Retrieved on 2009-02-06.
20. OCHA Partnership for Humanity (2008).
OCHA Field Situation Report: Indonesia –
Rainy Season 1 December 2008. Archived
18 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine
United Nations Office for the Coordination
of Humanitarian Affairs. Retrieved on 2009-
02-06.
21. Burarra Gathering (2006). Burarra
Gathering. Archived 2012-03-21 at
WebCite Burarra Gathering. Retrieved on
2009-02-06.
22. Tahiti Sun Travel Network (2007). About
Bora Bora Island. Retrieved on 2009-02-06.
23. Joint Typhoon Warning Center (2006).
2.4 Analysis & Forecasting "Thumb Rules"
for the Rainy Season. United States Navy.
Retrieved on 2009-02-06.
24. Remote Sensing for Migratory
Creatures (2002). Phenology and Creature
Migration: Dry season and wet season in
West Mexico. Arizona Remote Sensing
Center. Retrieved on 2009-02-06.
25. Horace Burton (2006). The climate of
Guyana. Archived 2009-01-24 at the
Wayback Machine Caribbean Institute for
Meteorology and Hydrology. The Outfield,
August 2006, pp. 3. Retrieved on 2009-02-
08.
26. James Brian Elsner (1988). Analysis of
Wet Season Rainfall Over the Nordeste of
Brazil, South America. University Of
Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Retrieved on 2009-
02-06.
27. C. H. Mari, G. Cailley, L. Corre, M.
Saunois, J. L. Attie, V. Thouret, and A. Stohl
(2007). Biomass burning plumes during the
AMMA wet season experiment.
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
Discussions, pp. 17342. Retrieved on 2009-
02-06.
28. Greek Embassy London (2008).
Welcome to Greece. Government of
Greece. Retrieved on 2009-02-06.
29. D. Bozkurt, O.L. Sen and M. Karaca
(2008). Wet season evaluation of RegCM3
performance for Eastern Mediterranean.
EGU General Assembly. Retrieved on 2009-
02-06.
30. Ron Kahana; Baruch Ziv; Yehouda Enzel
& Uri Dayan (2002). "Synoptic Climatology
of Major Floods in the Negev Desert,
Israel" (PDF). International Journal of
Climatology. 22: 869.
Bibcode:2002IJCli..22..867K .
doi:10.1002/joc.766 . Archived from the
original (PDF) on 2011-07-19.
31. Michael J. Plagens (2009). What and
Where is the Sonoran Desert? Arizonensis.
Retrieved on 2009-02-07.
32. "The Six Seasons" . Australian
Government, Department of the
Environment. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
33. Official Web Site of District Sirsa, India
(2001). District Sirsa. Archived 2010-12-
28 at the Wayback Machine National
Informatice Center. Retrieved on 2008-12-
27.
34. Mei Zheng (2000). The sources and
characteristics of atmospheric particulates
during the wet and dry seasons in Hong
Kong. University of Rhode Island. Retrieved
on 2008-12-27.
35. S. I. Efe, F. E. Ogban, M. J. Horsfall, E. E.
Akporhonor (2005). Seasonal Variations of
Physico-chemical Characteristics in Water
Resources Quality in Western Niger Delta
Region, Nigeria. Journal of Applied
Scientific Environmental Management.
Retrieved on 2008-12-27.
36. C. D. Haynes, M. G. Ridpath, M. A. J.
Williams (1991). Monsoonal Australia.
Taylor & Francis, pp. 90. ISBN 978-90-6191-
638-3. Retrieved on 2008-12-27.
37. United States War Department (1909).
Road Notes, Cuba. 1909. United States
Department of War. Retrieved on 2009-01-
16.
38. K.W. Choi and J.H.W. Lee (2000). Wet
Season Tidal Circulation and flushing in
Three Fathoms Cove. Archived 2009-02-
27 at the Wayback Machine 4th
International Conference on Hydro-Science
and Engineering. Retrieved on 2008-12-27.
39. Overseas Security Advisory Council
(2009). Warden Message: Guyana Rainy
Season Flood Hazards. Overseas Security
Advisory Council. Retrieved on 2009-02-05.
40. National Flood Insurance Program
(2009). California's Rainy Season.
Archived 2012-12-04 at the Wayback
Machine Federal Emergency Management
Agency. Retrieved on 2009-02-05.
41. AFP (2009). Bali Hit By Wet Season
Floods. ABC News. Retrieved on 2009-02-
06.
42. "Sirsa District Disaster Management
Plan, 2015-2016" (PDF). District Sirsa.
Government of Haryana Department of
Revenue and Disaster Management,
Haryana Institute of Public Administration.
2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on
2016-03-28. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
43. Jack Ainsworth & Troy Alan Doss.
Natural History of Fire & Flood Cycles.
California Coastal Commission. Retrieved
on 2009-02-05.
44. FESA (2007). Flood. Archived 2009-
05-31 at the Wayback Machine Government
of Western Australia. Retrieved on 2009-02-
06.
45. King County Department of
Development and Environmental Services
(2009). Erosion and Sediment Control for
Construction Sites. King County,
Washington Government. Retrieved on
2009-02-06.
46. Charles Darwin University (2009).
Characteristics of tropical savannas.
Archived 2009-02-17 at the Wayback
Machine Charles Darwin University.
Retrieved on 2008-12-27.
47. A. Roberto Frisancho (1993). Human
Adaptation and Accommodation.
University of Michigan Press, pp. 388.
ISBN 978-0-472-09511-7. Retrieved on
2008-12-27.
48. Marti J. Van Liere, Eric-Alain D. Ategbo,
Jan Hoorweg, Adel P. Den Hartog, and
Joseph G. A. J. Hautvast. The significance
of socio-economic characteristics for adult
seasonal body-weight fluctuations: a study
in north-western Benin. British Journal of
Nutrition: Cambridge University Press,
1994.
49. African Centre of Meteorological
Application for Development (2008). Ten
Day Climate Bulletin: Dekad of 01 to 10
April, 2008. Archived 2009-02-27 at the
Wayback Machine ACMAD. Retrieved on
2009-02-08.
50. John P. McNamara, J. France, D. E.
Beever (2000). Modelling Nutrient
Utilization in Farm Animals. CABI, pp. 275.
ISBN 978-0-85199-449-9. Retrieved on
2009-02-06.
51. Dr. Lincoln Brower (2005). Precipitation
at the Monarch Overwintering Sites in
Mexico. Journey North. Retrieved on 2009-
02-06.
52. Paul M. Brakefield and Torben B. Larsen
(1983). The evolutionary significance of dry
and wet season forms in some tropical
butterflies. Biological Journal of the
Linnean Society, pp. 1–12. Retrieved on
2008-12-27.
53. Phil Hall (1989). Crocodiles, Their
Ecology, Management, and Conservation.
International Union for Conservation of
Nature and Natural Resources Crocodile
Specialist Group, pp. 167. Retrieved on
2008-12-27.
54. San Diego Natural History Museum
(2009). Bufo californicus: Arroyo Toad.
San Diego Natural History Museum.
Retrieved on 2009-01-16.
55. Linda Deuver (1978). Dry season, wet
season. Archived 2009-01-20 at the
Wayback Machine Audubon Magazine,
November 1978, pp. 120–130. Retrieved on
2009-02-06.

Template:Watershed
Retrieved from
"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
title=Wet_season&oldid=884781477"

Last edited 24 days ago by GreenC …

Content is available under CC BY-SA 3.0 unless

otherwise noted.